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Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Mt Surprise to Croydon. Tuesday August 8th

After our excellent pizza dinner at the charming Bedrock Village run by the equally charming "Bedrock Chix" we slept well under the full moon.

After pausing to allow Ursala to post a parcel at the local post office/gem store we were back on the road, enjoying the relative freshness of morning. We are back in the routine of riding mornings with a stop for coffee somewhere en route, aiming to reach our destination by lunch time or shortly thereafter. This way we avoid the afternoon heat and beat most of the Grey Nomads to the best campsites.

Today we retraced part of our 2012 route and encountered our first stretches of single lane bitumen. Brought back memories of riding in Rhodesia back in the 60's as a pillion passenger with my father and a mate of his - where the main highways were just 2 strips of bitumen - the average venicle wheelbase apart. In retrospect I'm amazed at the level of concentration it would have required to keep the bikes on such a narrow track.

These single lane stretches are always a challenge when faced with oncoming traffic. Fortunately today traffic was light and no road trains!

Morning coffee in Georgetown. Which has its very own Peace Park!

20km west of Georgetown is the Cumberland Chimney - an old mining site now used as a free camp area. We'd camped there in 2012 - quiet spot with a lagoon formed by an old dam - a sanctuary for birdlife. New picnic tables and toilets have improved amenities. At 11 am there were already 1/2 dozen Grey Nomads setting up camp.

Gilbert River for lunch.

Croydon caravan park - $10 per person with grassy shady campsite and a pool. Supermarket across the street and a pub a block away. Quiet and off the main highway. Perfect.

Enjoyed todays ride as the landscape unwound beneath our wheels. Only 248km, but a couple of stretches where the flat savanna is disrupted by ridgelines providing interesting riding and panoramic views out over the surrounding vastness. I realised that having been this way before and unlike last time knowing what lay ahead - we were able to relax and enjoy the riding.